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Driving Green Transformation Through the National Digital Economy Innovation Pilot: A Quasi-Experimental Study on Reducing Urban Energy Intensity in 282 Chinese Cities
No full textDrawing upon a quasi-natural experiment, this research investigates the influence of China’s National Digital Economy Innovation Development Pilot Policy on urban energy intensity. By examining a sample of 282 Chinese cities with the difference in differences (DID) approach, the findings provide robust empirical support for the proposition that digital economy pilot policies substantially reduce urban energy intensity. Furthermore, the policy’s effectiveness in lowering urban energy intensity differs across cities with varying administrative levels and population scales. The results suggest that the policy’s impact is more pronounced in ordinary cities (non-provincial capitals/municipalities) and in those with smaller populations. An examination of the underlying mechanisms reveals three principal pathways through which the policy affects energy consumption: (1) digital economic development, which promotes optimal resource allocation and enhanced energy intensity; (2) technological innovation, driving advances in green technologies and supporting sustainable industrial upgrades; and (3) economic agglomeration, which leverages economies of scale and industrial clustering to bolster energy efficiency. The conclusions underscore the necessity of expanding digital economy pilot zones, strengthening investments in digital infrastructure, and fostering greater technological innovation to sustain improvements in energy efficiency and environmental performance.</p
Leading and trailing spiral arms in a nearly broken protoplanetary disc
No full textWe perform three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations to investigate the formation of spiral arms in misaligned circumbinary discs. In a nearly broken disc, the misaligned inner and outer discs interact at two nodes, launching leading spiral arms that do not rotate with the disc. These spirals vanish when the disc is fully broken or aligned. Our results show that the formation of leading spirals is driven by the relative misalignment of the inner and outer disc, and does not depend on the disc physics. With live radiative transfer, the shadows cast by the misaligned inner disc are also able to launch trailing spiral arms that only appear at high misalignments when the discs are disconnected. When the disc is strongly misaligned, leading and trailing spiral arms can both appear and interact with one other. At lower misalignments, the impact of shadows is negligible and leading spiral arms are seen instead. The presence of both leading and trailing spiral arms implies that the rotation of the disc cannot be assumed based on the orientation of the spiral arms alone. Unlike spirals formed by gravitational instability, the spirals in this work can also form in low-mass, gravitationally stable discs.</p
Coronary Artery Perforation: Insights and Outcomes From a 13‐Year Experience at a District General Hospital
No full textIntroduction and Objectives: Coronary artery perforation (CAP) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Although its management is well‐studied in tertiary care settings, little is known about the incidence and treatment patterns at district general hospitals (DGHs), which this study explored.Materials and Methods: A single‐centre analysis of all PCI procedures in a DGH between January 2011 and December 2023 was performed. Patients’ records were examined for procedure details and endpoints, which included pericardiocentesis, emergency cardiac surgery and secondary coronary artery bypass grafting. The endpoints also included in‐hospital and one‐year mortalities.Results: During the study period, there were 13,480 PCIs, of which 31 (0.23%) were complicated by CAP. Males composed 65%, and the mean age was 69.9 ± 10 years. The most common perforation type was Ellis II in 45% of patients, and the left anterior ascending artery (LAD) was most affected in 55% of patients. An echocardiogram was done in all patients and showed tamponade physiology in 16%, in all of whom pericardiocentesis was performed. Other CAP treatments included balloon tamponade in 65%, covered stent in 42%, fat embolisation in 10% and emergency surgery and coiling in 6% each. Inpatient mortality occurred in three patients (10%), with no one‐year mortalities. Long‐term complications were not observed in the study.Conclusion: CAP remains a rare, potentially lethal complication of PCI in a DGH setting, with an incidence, pattern and treatments similar to those of high‐volume PCI teaching centres. Early recognition and proper management are crucial.</p
Comprehensive analysis of stroke epidemiology in Vietnam: Insights from GBD 1990–2019 and RES-Q 2017–2023
No full textBackgroundStroke is a significant health burden in Vietnam, with substantial impacts on mortality, morbidity, and healthcare resources. An up-to-date report on stroke epidemiology and associated risk factors in Vietnam was missing.MethodWe analyzed the data published in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019, in combination with the first-time analysis of the Registry of Stroke Care Quality Improvement (RES-Q) initiative in Vietnam from 2017 to 2023.FindingsComparative analysis globally revealed that Vietnam had one of the highest stroke incidence and prevalence rates in Southeast Asia and ranked 4th in stroke mortality among 11 neighbouring countries. In the RES-Q dataset, 95,696 patients (77 %) were ischemic stroke, 23,203 (18 %) were intracerebral haemorrhage, and 2816 (2 %) were subarachnoid haemorrhage. In GBD 2019, stroke was the leading cause of death among cardiovascular diseases in Vietnam, accounting for 135,999 fatalities. The incidence of stroke was 222 (95 % UIs 206–242) per 100,000 population, with a prevalence of 1541 (1430-1679) per 100,000. Results align with the report from the RES-Q dataset in two megacities of Vietnam: Hanoi (incidence rate of 168.9, prevalence rate of 1182.2) and Ho Chi Minh City (incidence rate of 207.1, prevalence rate of 1221.8). Key risk factors for stroke mortality are high systolic blood pressure (79,000 deaths), unhealthy dietary (43,000 deaths), high fasting plasma glucose (35,000 deaths), and air pollution (33,000 deaths). Incidence is lower in rural Vietnam, but availability and quality of care are higher in megacities.InterpretationThe results promote a further understanding of stroke and risk factors for the Vietnamese population and suggest prevention and treatment strategies for the Vietnamese government, including facility and capacity improvement and applications of advanced technologies.</p
EP.1832 Parental involvement in decision-making about planned late preterm and early term birth
No full textObjective: Late preterm and early term (LPET) birth is associated with increased risks of adverse health outcomes throughout life. Where such births have been decided upon in advance many parents are dissatisfied with the input they are able to have in the decision-making process. In this study, we aimed to explore the input expectant parents want and expect in decision-making about possible planned LPET birth, how their experiences compare with those wishes and expectations, and how they feel about the input they have.Method: Recruitment took place via social media, community groups, charities and snowballing. Parents were eligible to take part if their babies were born in the UK up to six months prior to their interview and they had been involved in discussions with doctors in the UK about the possibility of planned late preterm or early term birth. 12 parents of nine singleton babies were interviewed, at which point the themes drawn from the data were considered to have sufficient informative power to have met the aims of the study.Results: Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, resulting in three themes. Theme 1, What matters most to us in this decision?, included sub-themes covering the central importance of ensuring the baby's safety as well as other issues taken into account by parents during decision-making. Theme 2, We’re in a new and strange place, also comprised two sub-themes addressing, first, that parents’ often did not fully understand their situation and, second, the quality and adequacy of the information with which they were provided. Theme 3, Can we work together to reach a decision?, encompassed six sub-themes, addressing a range of issues concerning parents’ relationships with the healthcare professionals involved in the decision-making, including the amount of choice they wanted and were given, and how they felt about their involvement in the decision-making process.Conclusion: Parents want to feel able to voice their questions and concerns; to understand why early birth is being considered, their options and the reason behind specific recommendations; and to work with healthcare professionals to reach a plan that is agreed by all as best for the baby, inclusive of other issues they consider important, and carried out as planned. Further research is needed to determine what information is helpful for parents and how and when it should be provided.</p
John Seed and the Antinomies of Liberal Culture
No full textHistorian and poet John Seed (1950-2025) played a vital role in the development of Social History, joining the Editorial Board in 1982 and serving as Reviews Editor (1982-94) and as an Associate Editor (2010-13) following the death of his friend Keith Nield (founding editor with Janet Blackman). John was also a regular contributor to Social History as an author over many years – on religious dissenters and liberal ideology and, through his collaborations with Keith Nield, on the continued salience of Marxism for the practice of a politically engaged social history.</p
A Betrayal in the Family: An Inhibitor or Stimulus for Business Model Innovation?
No full textAcademic SummaryBusiness-focused betrayals perpetrated by family members in managerial and decision-making positions can devastate family businesses, questioning their assumptions about trust and how they conduct the business. Such betrayals ignite tensions between family and business logics, potentially causing paralysis and protection of the status quo or compelling innovation of its strategies and operations—its business model. We draw on two contrasting perspectives to examine this tension: the threat rigidity thesis suggests that betrayal inhibits business model innovation by inducing fear of failure (an emotional familial response); organizational learning theory suggests that betrayal stimulates business model innovation by prompting knowledge development (an impassive business response). Relying on a sample of family businesses from India (n = 221) and Bangladesh (n = 289), our results support the latter perspective. Our study provides a theoretical foundation for the relationship between business-focused betrayal and business model innovation, revealing new mediating mechanisms and new insights into when and why the coupling of family and business logic prompts or impedes change.Managerial SummaryBetrayal within family businesses resulting from the actions of family members in leadership or decision-making positions can strike at the heart of trust and stability. Such moments often provoke powerful emotional reactions that lead to defensiveness, strained relationships, and resistance to change. Yet our findings reveal a more complex reality: betrayal can become a powerful catalyst for business model innovation. Rather than inherently damaging the family business, betrayal can disrupt entrenched routines, compel family business leaders to reassess priorities, and push family firms to explore new strategies, new practices, and innovative business models. The key to this innovation lies in reframing betrayal not as a threat, but as an opening for organizational learning, innovation, and growth. By acknowledging this dual nature, family firms can transform betrayal-induced adversity into momentum. Doing so enables them to navigate emotional familial responses with impassive business responses that drive innovation to restore the strength, resilience, and competitiveness of the family business in time.</p
Bestiary of Questionable Research Practices in Psychology
No full textQuestionable research practices (QRPs) pose a significant threat to the quality of scientific research. However, historically, they remain ill-defined, and a comprehensive list of QRPs is lacking. In this article, we address this concern by defining, collecting, and categorizing QRPs using a community-consensus method. Collaborators of the study agreed on the following definition: QRPs are ways of producing, maintaining, sharing, analyzing, or interpreting data that are likely to produce misleading conclusions, typically in the interest of the researcher. QRPs are not normally considered to include research practices that are prohibited or proscribed in the researcher’s field (e.g., fraud, research misconduct). Neither do they include random researcher error (e.g., accidental data loss). Drawing from both iterative discussions and existing literature, we collected, defined, and categorized 40 QRPs for quantitative research. We also considered attributes such as potential harms, detectability, clues, and preventive measures for each QRP. The results suggest that QRPs are pervasive and versatile and have the potential to undermine all stages of the scientific enterprise. This work contributes to the maintenance of research integrity, transparency, and reliability by raising awareness for and improving the understanding of QRPs in quantitative psychological research.</p
Everyday Digital Geographies of Ghanaians in a Medium-Sized Superdiverse City: Exploring Intersectional Identities and Translocational Belonging
No full textThis thesis explores the intersectional identities and translocational belonging of Leicester’s Ghanaian community through their everyday digital geographies. Literature on Ghanaians abroad highlights innovative strategies employed to negotiate their multispatial lives. Yet, geographers have not sufficiently engaged with how digital technologies reshape their everyday practices, intersectional identities, and multi-local belonging. Moreover, most scholarly engagements focus on dominant global cities with limited attention to superdiverse contexts where small Ghanaian communities are contributing to new patterns of social complexity. This thesis addresses these empirical gaps by bringing everyday digital geographies into conversation with translocational practices, highlighting transnational actors, institutions, and technologies that reshape everyday experiences. The research adopted a qualitative non-media-centric approach, using focus groups, one-on-one interviews, participant observations, and photographic evidence. Firstly, the research findings suggest that the digital’s ambivalent capabilities transform the diaspora’s daily encounters. Secondly, mediated representational enactments are reshaping intersectional and cross-cutting identity performances that are negotiated to maintain cultural distinction. Thirdly, Ghanaians are forging multi-local connections within interpersonal and organisational settings to sustain multiple overlapping belongings. These mundane practices, representational enactments, and network ties reconfigure identity performances and individual/collective perceptions of belonging whilst contributing to Leicester’s superdiverse character. Digital technologies are integral to how Ghanaians mediate their translocational lives and contribute to placemaking amidst intense diversification. These observations reinforce the intersectional and multi-local character of habitual practices by small migrant communities. I argue that the Ghanaian diaspora’s mediated practices complicate their identities and belonging in digital and offline spaces. The thesis advances the concept of mediated translocational belonging and invites further research into digitally enabled ,translocational practices that are constituted across multiple, overlapping, and rapidly changing spaces. Future research could combine these conceptual ideas with innovative methodologies to generate new knowledge about migrants’ digital geographies, intersectional identities, and multi-local belonging across superdiverse cities.</p
The Effect of Finite Compliant Panels on the Development of Linear Disturbances in the Rotating-Disk Boundary Layer
No full textThe rotating disk boundary layer has long served as a fundamental model in fluid dynamics for studying the transition from laminar to turbulent
ow, where both convective and absolute instabilities play key roles. While previous studies (e.g., Cooper & Carpenter [16]) have theoretically shown that infinite compliant panels can delay or suppress absolute instability, experimental validation remains challenging due to the impracticality of infinite panels. This thesis extends earlier theoretical work by conducting a comprehensive numerical simulation of three-dimensional disturbance evolution over a boundary layer as it passes over finite-length compliant panels. Unlike prior research that utilised a single-layer viscoelastic model, this work employs a spring-backed compliant panel model (Carpenter [12]) to more realistically represent experimental conditions. The analysis is performed using Davies' [20] vorticity-velocity formulation, an advanced numerical approach that provides a precise analysis of
ow stability. To establish a reliable framework, standard linear stability theory (SLST) is ?rst applied to determine critical parameters { such as Reynolds number (Re) and azimuthal mode number (n) { ensuring consistency with ,established studies like Malik [45]. Subsequent numerical simulations investigate both convective and absolute instabilities ,under two types of external disturbances: periodic forcing, which selectively excites modes at fixed frequencies, and impulsive forcing, which excites a broad spectrum of modes with the most unstable mode eventually dominating the response. The results indicate that finite-length compliant panels can reduce disturbance growth rates and, in certain cases, influence the direction of instability propagation. Furthermore, the stabilising bene?fits are enhanced as Re, n, and the compliant panel length increase. By providing the first full numerical analysis of finite-length compliant panels in this context, this thesis advances the understanding of passive
ow control strategies for rotating boundary layers, offering practical insights that could inform experimental validation and the design of engineering systems with improved
ow stability.</p